


Just a Dream

by MizushimaHikari



Category: Hamilton - Miranda
Genre: A Winter's Ball, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Class Issues, Emotional Hurt, F/F, Humiliation, Psychological Drama, Public Humiliation, Rejection, Unrequited Crush, Unrequited Love, Unresolved Emotional Tension
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-13
Updated: 2017-08-13
Packaged: 2018-12-15 01:43:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,156
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11795832
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MizushimaHikari/pseuds/MizushimaHikari
Summary: If the winter's ball were a little different, Eliza is no longer helpless, and Angelica is still never satisfied. A study on how you can have empathy for the people who break your heart.





	Just a Dream

Angelica Schuyler glided into the center of the ballroom, her skirts swirling. She knew she could captivate any crowd, especially these delightful rebels – the Patriots, or so they called themselves – at tonight’s winter ball. She exchanged words with everyone who crossed her path, a few words here, small talk there. 

Angelica understood the game. As the eldest daughter of a prominent man with no sons, it was her job to mingle, to social climb, to protect the family legacy. 

She knew well enough that if she could maintain the upper hand via intellectual intimidation. A quick delve into a philosophical analysis of Common Sense by Thomas Paine convinced even the most grizzled scholars of the strength of Schuyler. Angelica would dazzle the world like an intense, ever-burning ember. 

A weighty duty, to be sure, but she was good at it, and she would happily shoulder this burden if her sisters Eliza and Peggy could live as they wanted. 

Speaking of which, Angelica looked around for her sisters. Peggy was on the other side of the room, chatting with Thomas Jefferson. Eliza, on the other hand, was much closer, and…talking to a stranger? 

That was odd. Eliza usually preferred to stay on the sidelines. 

Angelica surreptitiously inched towards her sister and that strange man, an intelligent-looking fellow with a bony frame. Suddenly, every part of her felt hot. There! She was now just close enough to eavesdrop. 

The stranger stepped towards Eliza, raising an eyebrow and donning a smirk, and said, “You strike me as a woman who has never been satisfied.” 

It took Angelica all of her willpower not to gape. Who the fuck would say that? To a Schuyler?! 

Coolly, Eliza replied, “I’m sure I don’t know what you mean. You forget yourself.” 

Angelica felt a burst of her pride for her sister. Handling unwanted suitors gracefully was an art and a science. 

Undeterred, the stranger said, “You’re like me. I’m never satisfied.” 

Eliza paused and blinked slowly before monotonically saying, “Is that right?” 

“I have never been satisfied!” the stranger declared. By then, Eliza had departed. 

Angelica felt some small, selfish part of her sigh in relief. Clearly, Eliza didn’t like this man, but she was drawn to him, his swagger. 

She strategically waited a few minutes before approaching him. “My name is Angelica Schuyler,” she said with a curtsy. 

His eyebrows went up. Good! He noticed her. “Alexander Hamilton,” he said, bowing ever so slightly. 

“Where’s your family from?” she asked, following her mingling script like clockwork. 

His eyes burned like flickering candlelight. “Unimportant. There’s a million things I haven’t done, but just you wait. Just you wait…” 

On the outside, Angelica kept her poise, but inside, she was screaming. She noticed the way his eyes darted, the tremor of his hand when she mentioned family. He wasn’t from a good family. Maybe he was a bastard orphan. She could never dream of having anything with him. 

And it wasn’t fair! Alexander Hamilton was a lightning bolt in a dark world. How could one man radiate that much passion? She wanted nothing more than to grab his uniform and press her lips against his. She wanted to take him far away from this place, where status and money mattered more than heart and soul. 

Alexander had turned to move away, but he swiveled back. “Schuyler? Do you know Elizabeth Schuyler?” 

“My sister.” 

“Introduce me to her,” Alexander stated. 

Angelica felt her heart wither. She knew that Eliza wasn’t interested and that she was, but if she refused to play nice, she would tarnish her father’s reputation. Worse still, the gossip in New York City was insidious – people could figure out that she had feelings for this lowly, penniless soldier. She couldn’t risk that. 

And yet, she didn’t want to help him. It hurt too much to give him away so easily. Anger flared up inside her. Why couldn’t he appreciate the glorious woman before him? Was she too intense, too forward, too much? Insecurity gnawed at her confidence. She could convince people to respect and admire her. Liking her – loving her – was another matter. 

Angelica caught a glimpse of sadness in this soldier’s eyes. At once, she understood. He, like her, had been snubbed. Just like she longed for him, he longed for her sister. The only difference was that her case was helpless; his was not. Not yet. 

Wordlessly, Angelica led Alexander towards Eliza, her vision cloudy with tears that she would not let fall. “Eliza, have you met Alexander Hamilton? He is part of General Washington’s army.” 

Eliza stared coldly at Alexander. “Thank you for your service,” she muttered through gritted teeth. 

Alexander brandished a grin, causing Angelica’s chest to tighten. “If it takes fighting a war to meet, it will have been worth it.” 

If only he could say that to her and not her sister! 

“Excuse me,” a loud voice interrupted, “Eliza doesn’t want to talk to you. What part of that don’t you get?” Thomas Jefferson inserted himself between Eliza and Alexander, subtly clasping Eliza’s hand in his own. 

“What are you doing here, Thomas? Last I heard, you were getting high with the French,” Alexander sneered. 

Thomas narrowed his eyes into thin slits. “I am negotiating with the French to get guns and ships. If it weren’t for me, you would be relying on whatever Congress gives you, which is what? Nothing? Haven’t you guys been eating your horses?” 

“How about you get your ugly mug out of here? You’re interrupting my conversation with Miss Schuyler,” Alexander hissed. 

“Hamilton, you interrupted us.” With a flourish, Thomas led Eliza to the dance floor. 

Angelica studied Hamilton’s hunger-pang frame. If Eliza wouldn’t have him, perhaps she had a shot. Maybe she could lure him to a corner under the guise of helping him win Eliza’s heart and confess. If she played the cards right, Angelica could preserve her good name. Hamilton was, after all, a rising star in the army. He was gutsy. Her father had a soft spot for men like Alexander. Should things go south, she could always swear him to secrecy… 

Hamilton moved, jerking Angelica away from her thoughts. He lumbered towards the smiling couple and jabbed his index finger into Thomas’s chest. “You have attacked my honor. I challenge you to a duel!” he snarled. 

“No.” 

“No?” Hamilton taunted. “You scared of finding out my shoe fits your ass?”

Just as Thomas raised his fist, Eliza stated, “Don’t dignify schoolyard taunts with a response, Thomas.” 

He lowered his arm. “I apologize, milady. Let’s go.”

They left Hamilton in the ballroom, speechless for once in his life. Malicious whispers rippled through the room. 

Of course. Angelica felt a wave of shame wash over her. If she wore her heart on her sleeve, she would be humiliated, just like Hamilton right now. 

She returned to mingling. Alexander could break her heart – he couldn’t break her dignity.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you to my dear readers! It has been such a long time since I've been writing Hamilton fanfic. I'm glad to be back (for now at least - life tends to get busy.)
> 
> This story is a divergence from the meetcutes I sometimes write. I am in the middle of processing the feeling of liking someone you know likes someone else, and writing this helped me. He is a friend of mine who is in the same situation as me, and I feel for him, even when he has hurt me unintentionally.


End file.
